Dressing yourself in the morning is hard enough when you don’t have to coordinate your whole family, stand in front of a camera, and be your best self. Choosing what to wear for family photos can trigger even the most confident fashionista to pull their entire wardrobe onto the floor, searching for the perfect outfit. So if your nerves start to go wild when you think about what to wear, don’t worry! What you’re experiencing is normal! Before you lose sleep to late nights spent online shopping–putting articles of clothing in your cart only to take them out again–here are five tips about what works and what doesn’t when it comes to outfits for family photos.
Choose Outfits That Complement Your Environment
Complement your natural environment or contrast it. A mustard-colored dress in the deep green woods would look picture-perfect, whereas a patterned, bright pink dress wouldn’t make sense. It totally depends on what you’re looking for! Limiting your color scheme to four colors for family photos is best. You can choose one person to wear a feature color or pattern and have everyone else’s outfits complement that.
Choosing Outfits With Patterns
Avoid small, busy patterns as they often dominate the photograph and take the attention away from your beautiful family. Usually, subtle, large patterns work best. Flannels or a floral print are great when they complement the location. But less is definitely more with this one; try to limit yourself to one pattern at a time. Matching patterns is tricky, and it’s challenging to do well.
What To Do About Logos
Much like crazy patterns, clothing with writing or logos tends to be distracting. We’re not getting paid for Nike’s not-so-subtle product placement. However, if the logo or phrase is tasteful (read: not tacky), in theme with the shoot, and fits your personality, go for it!
Plan Your Outfits For The Weather
Plan your outfits around what you know about the conditions at the location we’ll be at. You’ll want to be warm enough (or cool enough!), have pain-free feet, and look relatively native to your environment. For at-home sessions, slip into your comfiest comfies and rock that. The idea is to capture wherever you and your family are authentically. Consider your clothing choices logically based on location, vibe, and comfort level.
Be Comfortable
It’s not uncommon for people to want to shop for new and fabulous clothes for family photos, and that’s totally fine if that’s your jam. But let’s talk about comfort a little more. Would you be more comfortable in your favorite T-shirt and jeans or a new clingy little black dress? The best route is usually to go with something tried and true and something you know moves with you and hugs you in all the right places. Don’t get me wrong – your family does not have to wear jeans and white T-shirts. You can glam it up more if that’s more on-brand for you. But if authenticity is what you’re after, show up as yourself! If you want to capture this time of your life in all its glory, it’s about feeling in your skin.
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Want more information about family photos like what you just read? Check out this blog post about the Top 5 Best Locations for Family Photos.
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